I wasn't sure if I should include this in my Homeschool section or here, so I chose here. This is a list of words that I like and their origins. Etymology is fascinating and I suggest people take a look at their favorite words more often.

blatantThe term blatant is unique in that it was coined by Spenser during c. 15-16. Coinage is the process of inventing a new word and is often seen during a bout of creativity, in which similar sounding and meaning of two other words are blended together. For example, blatant was thought to have maintained the meaning of blaintained.

undermineThe word undermine is a combination of prefixes and compounding. First, the word, as a noun of action, means to make something invalid. The prefix, under- is found in twenty-five Old English words and means to “go under” or “below”. In this instance, it is more abstract and means “to make something less than”. In addition to using prefixes, the word is a compound word, too. The prefix under is combined with the word mine, to indicate in the noun version, that it is an underground excavation. One could argue that undermine is an example of conversion, as the word began as a tangible idea (the underground excavation) and morphed into the abstract idea (to belittle). There was semantic change, but not physical change to the word.

demigodThis word uses the prefix demi- which is from Latin origin. It translates to partial.

ReaganomicsThis word is the perfect example of blending. It takes Reagan and economics and blends them together to stand for one man’s version of economics.

zipperThis word, zipper, uses the suffix -er to identity the thing that does the “zipping” on articles of clothing. This usage of the suffix -er to identify a thing is more prevalent in the Modern English language, and not in the older versions of the English language, when the suffix was used to identify a type of person (i.e. outsider or teacher).

fluThe word flu is short for influenza. This is an example of clipping a word to shorten it. The word flu is used in colloquial English.

access (v.)The verb access is shortened form the noun accession. It means to enter or pass through. What is this called? .

garlicThe word garlic comes from the word gare and leek, which was blended together during the Old English period. This is an example of blending two words together to form a new one.

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